Team Selection for Blessington (A) Away Match

Team Selection Belmont vs Blessington A Oct 19th Hopefully Clarity of selection and positions will bring rewards. We are still in the market for new players if you know of anyone. In the Matches vs Parkvale and last week against Ashwood we showed that there is determination and plenty of skill in our team. Ideally I would like for there to be competition for places on the pitch and we are certainly at the stage where weaker players get exposed very quickly by true soccer playing opposition. Everyone is however making good progress. Fitness in the first few matches was certainly an issue which surprised me when we were run ragged by fitter teams. We obviously summered well !! I am going to get structured with positions and team formation. I am going to invite previous players regularly to beef up our squad. As favoured by Noel King with some success... and by more successful Belmont Managers, I am going to opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Look forward to seeing you Saturday. Liam

The New Blog , u13's New(ish) Season 2013/14

Hi Everyone, Thought I would use the Blog format as a way to communicate with Players and Parents alike. As Usual , All results are the responsibility of the manager and also as usual if anyone feels strongly , the role is permanently available to interested parties... :-) By Way of House keeping Lisa Cuddy (086 828 3850) is our new Treasurer. Martha Mulcahy has stepped down and stepped up as Treasurer of the U16's as John Mulcahy has gone to Ring for the year. John will be making sporadic appearances with Belmont u13's when he visits home ! As you know I have the tactical expertise of Giovanni Trappatoni and as much success recently as he had with Ireland !! However undaunted and I will carry on.... Anyone willing to lend a hand as Assistant Manager would be very welcome as I wont be able to get to all of the games, when we return to Herbert Park or start to have Home games , I will need help as I cannot set up the pitch and the goals and nets alone. I will set up a rota of parents if I cannot get volunteers. Anyway enough of the housekeeping.... Liam

Belmont Teamsheet 22nd January 2011

Beechwood v's Belmont, Away 11.15
Meet Merrion Cricket Club 10.55
Starting Lineup

Subs: Booth (7), Dempsey, O'Sullivan
Manager: Boggan
Linesperson: Cuddy (P)

Belmont Teamsheet 20th November 2010

Belgrave v's Belmont, Away 10.30

Meet Belgrave , La Touche Road 10.10
Starting Lineup

Subs: Booth (7), Dowling, O'Brien, O'Sullivan

Managers: Boggan (L), AN Other
Linesperson: Booth (L)

Photographer: Cuddy (P)

Directions:

Morehampton towards town Rd/N11
Turn left at Dartmouth Walk onto canal
Continue onto Canal Rd
Take the  left onto Davitt Rd
Turn left at Naas Rd
Turn right at Old Naas Rd
Turn right at Bluebell Ave
Turn left at La Touche Rd
La Touche Rd

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Belmont+Avenue,+Dublin,+Ireland&daddr=53.3293231,-6.3336031+to:La+Touche+Rd&hl=en&geocode=FS6dLQMdq8ag_ymB7I3Ftg5nSDERZxBnrSLwjQ%3BFau9LQMdXVuf_ym5SBpAjQxnSDHQHTj9pscAEw%3BFVrFLQMdElmf_w&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=2&sz=15&via=1&sll=53.328079,-6.333103&sspn=0.01871,0.038409&ie=UTF8&ll=53.332206,-6.334047&spn=0.018708,0.038409&t=h&z=15

Belmont Will to win sees off St.James in 4-3 thriller.

After a break due to the mid term and two unlucky defeats the Belmont Under 9 players assembled in Herbert park in the warm sunshine for a late October fixture against St.James.


As the year progresses the variations in the starting team are beginning to be predictable with some players basically interchangeable for each other and some kids making huge strides with their skills whilst others have loads of room to improve to really challenge for a starting position on the team. Boggan and Mulcahy as a management team have been gifted a group of players with real skills to win matches. Likewise we have an unerring ability to tinker with the team mid match and run the risk of throwing it all away by experimenting and so turning success into near disaster.

Belmont were at their most boring , Hugh Mulcahy accused Liam Boggan of not being capable of an original thought. In his turn at team selection. So with Calum Dowling the latest player to don the Goalie Jersey the starting team was Luke and Mark in Defence, Brian Cuddy, Marcus Boggan and John Mulcahy in midfield and Patrick Sherwin as striker. Jamie Yarr , John O’Brien and Cathal Dempsey ,Conor Booth and Ciaran O’Sullivan made up the bench at the kick off.

The match started off auspiciously with John Mulcahy ramming the ball home within the first five minutes but his St.James team were more like the team we were expecting and the rustiness of the Belmont players who had clearly enjoyed many late nights , lots of video games and certainly a paucity of football practice soon found themselves at the receiving end of a sudden break by St. James whose striker found himself clear with the Belmont defenders beaten. A well taken strike gave our latest goalkeeper Calum Dowling little chance. The shock of the comeback by St.James was compounded a short while time later by the second well taken goal from St.James which saw Belmont slip into a 2-1 deficit.

Suddenly as half time approached and against the run of play there was surely one of those moments which will be remembered as one of the goals of the season as Marcus Boggan returned a St.James Goal kick on the volley. The ball seemed to fly in slow motion across a huge arc in the direction of the net. The assembled supporters had time to fall silent and watch gob smacked. The St.James Keeper could only stand and look in horror as the ball he had just kicked out soared past him in the direction of his own goal. He turned and ran as Marcus shot bounced short of the goal but it had the pace to carry on and by the time the St.James Goal keeper made it back to his goal, he was just in time to retrieve the ball from the back of the net.

2-2 … game on ..and so it was at half time.

Belmont let Calum loose as a striker and Conor Booth took up position in Goal. We had started with Calum taking his turn in goal , Conor Booth as striker , The midfield of John Mulcahy , Brian Cuddy and Marcus Boggan and the usual defenders of Luke Sheehan and Mark Cloonan. During the first half Jamie Yarr had been brought on to give Brian Cuddy a rest and later Brian was sent back on to give Conor Booth a break and Marcus Boggan brought ashore for a rest and was ably replaced by Patrick Sherwin.


Belmont were suffering the after effects of the holiday break…and despite a lot or running around and energy being expended with Patrick and Luke combining well to thread the ball towards the St.James goal there was precious little reward. On the contrary it was St.James who threaded a string of fine passes to leave their striker alone with the Belmont Defence scrambling once again and suddenly disaster St.James scored their third goal.

John O’Brien came on in midfield and was extremely lively running rings around his opposite number. John is taking time to discover his natural position in this team. He eventually was switched to defence where he seemed to be more comfortable and made a number of strong tackles.

Suddenly the Belmont players and crowd of parents and spectators came to life. This game was not going away and there was still more than ten minutes left. Now the Belmont team showed its mettle and fought with renewed vigour. The effort was rewarded when a fine series of passes was rewarded with Jamie Yarr blasting his way onto the score sheet to level the match with 10 minutes to play.

Could we get the magical fourth goal ? Cathal Dempsey came on to replace Mark Cloonan in Defence . Mark had run his heart out.

Prof Mulcahy stood impatiently on the sidelines as his fellow manager Boggan made reckless switches of positions between the players in a desperate attempt to unlock the best combination of players . The St.James Manager took a big decision and himself and made several substitutions to try and hang on til the end. It may have been the luckiest break for us but the momentum and tide continued to inexorably turn in our favour.

Three minutes to go and the referee signals a corner , Time to throw caution to the wind. A snap decisison return John Mulcahy to the fray and risked being without Cathal and exposed in terms of defence for the last few minutes. No one had got past Cathal on his watch and we took the riskiest decision to throw everything at the St.James goal for the last few minutes.

So we had six proven goal scorers on the pitch , Five jammed into St.James Box and Marcus king of the long range shot manning the perimeter of the box.readty to shoot or defend. Desperate stuff but the momentum was on our side. The ball was parried by St.James , Another Corner , then another and finally a melee in front of the St.James Box.

The Belmont Mums and Dads yelling , the managers yelling, the St.James Manager barking orders to his team all added to the volume as the crowds along the touchline in Herbert park swelled as the last desperate moments of the game ebbed away.

Suddenly in a move reminiscent of John Mulcahy’s first goal , Calum Dowling saw the gap open up in front of him and he stabbed the ball from close range into the net to grab the fourth goal and a famous victory. Cue celebrations by players , managers and parents alike.

Belmont in 6 Goal Fiesta as Budget Crisis Deepens

Parkvale 3 – Belmont 6 (HT 0-5)
Photograph: Courtesy of Hugh Mulcahy

Linesman: None

Belmont Under 9’s football team cruised to their third straight win with a classy and well-taken away victory against Parkvale FC Saturday last. The match, played in Rockbrook school on a billiard-table smooth pitch, really allowed the Belmont players to demonstrate their progress in training over the past weeks. Meanwhile, in a separate development, manager Boggan has introduced tough new fiscal measures in an attempt to reduce the Belmont budget defecit. “One of my first actions is to allow only a single photograph to be taken at each match to save camera batteries” he said. “I have a cheap graphics package and I’ll touch up the photo so that viewers think we have loads of them. I’ll discuss other proposals later in this article”.

Managers Boggan and Mulcahy started with Cuddy in goal, Cloonan and Sheahan in defence, Yarr, Mulcahy and Boggan in midfield and Sherwin up front. The match began, as it so often does, with the referee blowing his whistle and the Belmont players immediately sprang into action. The Belmont midfield harried Parkvale and generally made a nuisance of themselves all over the pitch, stringing some fine passes together and often finding Sherwin up front. As early as the fourth minute, a stinging shot from Sherwin was deflected around the bar only for Mulcahy to whip in a fine low corner which ricocheted off a hapless Parkvale defender into the net for their first goal (Editor’s note: These are footy supporters, not classical scholars. For “ricocheted” please read “bounced”). Goal two was not far behind with a fine cross from Mulcahy finding Sherwin in the box who slammed home from 4 metres. Two nil on 7 minutes and Belmont apparently coasting. But no, this is a different team from last year and Belmont upped a gear to apply more pressure (Ed note: surely a mixed metaphor?). On 10 minutes Belmont scored what may be their goal of the season with a four-man demonstration of one touch passing to leave the Parkvale crowd stunned. Yarr’s initial pass from right wing to Mulcahy in centre was sublime (Ed: for “sublime” read “magic”). Mulcahy looked up, saw Boggan in space on the right and immediately cut the defence in two with his pass. From Boggan, a beautifully stroked cross between two flailing Parkvale defenders and it was left for Sherwin to slam the ball into the net “a la Drogba”. Meanwhile, the defence of Cuddy, Sheehan and Cloonan lazed on the soft turf listening to their I-Pods. The fourth goal came from the penalty spot after a Parkvale foul and Yarr, Like a buzzing yellow and blue wasp, stepped up to the spot to convert into the top corner. Four-nil with more to come. The final goal of the half came on 15 minutes, again a thrilling run and shot from Yarr that left the Parkvale goalie with no chance. This signalled the introduction of able replacements in the form of O’Brien, Dempsey, Dowling, O’Sullivan and Booth to add further fuel to the Belmont fire (Ed: Nice one!). All looked well capable of beating their man and scoring so that competition will be hot all year for starting places. And so it ended: Half time and 5-0.

It was early in the second half that the wheels came off and good ship Belmont began to sink (Ed: Surely another appalling mixed metaphor??). Managers Boggan and Mulcahy had tinkered with

the team so much that everyone was playing out of position (see diagram right). Three goals from Parkvale in quick succession reduced their deficit to two and it was only stout defending from Dowling and O’Brien allied to fierce midfield play from O’Sullivan and Dempsey that more goals were not scored against them. The final Belmont goal of the match was also a stunner. A through ball from midfield reached Booth who calmly sidestepped the last defender before stylishly sliding the ball into goal with the outside of his left foot. And the match ended as it had begun, with a cheeky peep-peep of the ref’s whistle.

“This team just gets better and better each week” said manager Hugh Mulcahy after the game, “if they continue to perform like this, Liam Boggan and I will really begin to believe that our managerial skills are not as appalling as everyone says they are”. More worryingly, in a post-match interview, manager Boggan revealed measures aimed at fiscal rectitude. “On the plus side, I’m going to reduce player fees from €200 to €188 per year. We really want to encourage all prospective parents to send their children to Belmont FC and to remember to pay their fees, so I want a number that everyone will recognise. I thought poor Sean Fitzpatrick’s monthly income would be instantly recognisable and a reasonable base rate for our subscription. Most people are familiar and comfortable with this kind of figure and, anyway, only a few Belmont members could afford to pay other well known figures such as €30,000,000,000”. However, on the minus side, Boggan is also thought to be in favour of swinging budget cuts such as short-sleeved jerseys, unlined pitches, playing matches without a ball and putting the Herbert Park pitch and changing facilities into NAMA.

Belmont FC demolish St James Athletic FC in under 9 Premier League Cup

St James Athletic FC 0 - Belmont FC 6 (HT 0-3)

Photographs courtesy of R Cuddy
Linesman: L Boggan (Well, he carried the flag but did no actual work)

Belmont FC reaped the rewards of extensive training and hard work with a 6-0 victory against St James Athletic in the Under 9 Premier League Cup Saturday. “The match represented everything that was good in football” said a delighted Managerial team after the game. “We had

a shaky start to the season, but the win against AFC Belgrave last week really provided us with a platform on which to build”. “All credit to Paul Sheehan who stepped in to manage the team after we pushed off to do the Wexford cycle”. Indeed, this correspondent overheard considerable mutterings among the players and families that Boggan and Mulcahy were returning for the grudge match with St James Athletic. Nevertheless, the generally uncomplaining and long-suffering parents took to the sidelines in their droves to cheer on their little darlings. Weather beautiful, pitch immaculate, game on!

The gaffers started with their usual 2-3-1 formation with Booth in goal, Cloonan and Sheehan in defence, Boggan, Mulcahy and Yarr in midfield and Dowling in attack. A potent strike force, this reporter mused at the time. The subs bench was also packed with talent with Cuddy, Dempsey, O’Brien and O'Sullivan all drooling to get into the action. The early exchanges were fierce, but it is clear that the Belmont team has taken shape over the past month with players passing freely between defence, midfield and attack. Some neat touches indeed from Boggan, Yarr and Mulcahy, as well as fine crosses and long-balls, so that the St James midfield and defence were ripped open on several occasions early on. It was Dowling who broke the deadlock on 9 minutes when a long cross into the penalty area fell at his feet and it needed only a quick controlling touch before he blasted in for the opener. This provided Belmont with even more confidence and it wasn’t long before another neat series of passes between Yarr, Boggan and Dowling found Mulcahy unmarked in space. Mulcahy didn’t stand on ceremony and lashed the ball inside the lower right post to make it 2-0. It was at this point that Booth, who had not touched the ball all match fell asleep in his goal netting as Sheehan and Cloonan dozed just outside their penalty box. There was so little for them to do that Cloonan spent much of his time in the St James box and had several close attempts on goal. As the quarter hour approached, it was time for some fresh legs and the introduction of Cuddy, Dempsey and O’Brien in quick succession. Indeed, O’Brien’s first touch of the ball on 18 minutes resulted in Belmont’s third goal after he connected with another lethal cross from Mulcahy. A well taken debut goal from this potential star.

The halftime talk was short and sharp. All the managers said was “Continue doing what you are doing”. The second half only cemented the view that this team is going from strength to strength. Sheehan retired into goal to rest himself while Cuddy, Booth, Yarr and and Dempsey pushed forward in attack and goals were not long in coming. First, a deft solo run from Cuddy to the right hand side of the box and, seeing the goalkeeper off his line, an incredibly cheeky chip over his head from a tight angle to score Belmont’s fourth. The introduction of O’Sullivan only added to St James’ woes as he beat several players in his first attack to score with a well hit shot. Five nil and St James flagging. Yet, the Belmont team seemed hardly to have broken sweat as Booth, Cuddy and O’Sullivan repeatedly caused havoc in attack. Perhaps the most potent threat was from Yarr, whose vision, tactical awareness and silky passing skills have added a new dimension to the team. It only remained for Cuddy to wrap up the match on 35 minutes with a deft left footed shot into the left corner after another fine lay off from Yarr. Cuddy, the two footed wonderkid was on fire!

“It just doesn’t come much better than this” said Manager Boggan after the match. These kids are pacey, committed and aggressive and we expect even more from them in the future”. “The benefits of quick passing have clearly not been lost on them, and we will be looking more and more at honing their passing skills as the season progresses” he added. “Yes, when the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea” said Mulcahy in a French accent as he stared into the middle distance. Knowing nods from the players all round – not!